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CATEGORY LISTINGS > CATERPILLAR > Caterpillar 3116 starts hard and smokes bad

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Thread Title:

Caterpillar 3116 starts hard and smokes bad

Created On Saturday January 13, 2007 11:36

Bpowerline

Posts: 4
Joined: Jan 2007

Saturday January 13, 2007 11:36

We have in our shop a 1995 Topkick with a 3116 cat engine in it, this truck runs good if it is kept in the shop where it is warm but if you put it outside it barely starts and when it does it poors out white smoke. It runs pretty good after warm up and have checked the usual but it seems like there are too many tools that you need to work on this engine like setting the fuel timing etc, it may not even be that but it is a guess, any help would be greatly appreciated, we are a diesel repair shop but cannot figure this truck out????

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Caterlac

Posts: 23
Joined: Feb 2006

Sunday January 14, 2007 18:39
Check to see if the intake air heater is operating properly. ------------------------- Don't be down-hearted I can fix it for ya sonny....It won't take too long it'll just take$$$$$$

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Bpowerline

Posts: 4
Joined: Jan 2007

Sunday January 14, 2007 20:09
Checked the intake heater and seems to be fine, stays on like it is suppost to and gets hot. What else??

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catmech

Posts: 326
Joined: Nov 2005

Saturday January 27, 2007 22:20

have you checked the tank for water? you may have enought water in the fuel tank that when cold is causing you starting and preformance problems, tell the fuel warms up. older fuels we called it cold point, when the wax in the fuel would start to clump togeather. try draining the tank and see what you get out. if its cold there are you using number one diesel now, and not number two?

Edited: Saturday January 27, 2007 at 22:23 by catmech

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RCLUCK

Posts: 4
Joined: Feb 2007

Sunday February 04, 2007 17:56

The 3116 is very prone to this problem. The problem lies within the injector cups, they are brass while the injectors run no bottom o-ring, compression seeps past slowly causing this issue. If you have the correct tooling remove all 6 injectors and check for burn marks on the bottom of the injector near the bottom around the tip. Repair for this problem is simple if you have the correct tooling. It is called reaming the injector cup. Result of this is a new seating surface with a new seal around the bottom of the injector. Depending on milage you could adjust the valves and injector heights while you inside for a little preventive maintnance. This should solve you problem. But only attempt this job if you have the correct tooling. If not head to a garage that does.

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Bpowerline

Posts: 4
Joined: Jan 2007

Sunday February 04, 2007 18:27

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Bpowerline

Posts: 4
Joined: Jan 2007

Sunday February 04, 2007 18:29
I had to take it to Cat to get it repaired. Rcluck hit it right on the nose, this guy is good. They reamed the cups and set the overhead and the truck starts fine if it is 20 degrees out and has good power and no stalling. Thanks to all though, Mike Powerline Engine

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g6383

Posts: 3
Joined: Nov 2007

Wednesday November 21, 2007 19:44
About how much did it cost to get your injector cups reamed.I have the exact same problem and nobody can fix it. Please/Thanks

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jonparsons

Posts: 1
Joined: Mar 2009

Tuesday March 24, 2009 16:09

RCLUCK
you seem like the man on these 3116's, i have a 92 topkick, some time ago, when i started it and was allowing it to warm up, the buzzer (sounds like the low air buzzer) goes off and a few seconds latter the engine will shut off. it started this during cold weather, and would shut off a couple times before it got warmed up and them be ok. it continued to do this through the winter, and has begun to get worse, shutting off 3-4 times and now it will shut off anytime i am running slow or engine just idling. hope you can help. oh by the way, it will start right back up everytime.
thanks

-------------------------
92 Topkick 3116 single axle dump w/allison 5 speed

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lrgt2003

Posts: 3
Joined: Oct 2011

Friday October 28, 2011 13:53

I have a '98 GMC Topkick C6500 with a Cat 3116 (185hp) that I bought in August, and now that weather has gotten cold it won't start! Performance is in DIRECT correlation with weather. It runs ok when it's over 70 degrees F outside. Between 63 and 70 degrees, it is a little sluggish getting up any kind of a hill, between 60-63 degrees, it can barely drive on level ground, and below 60 it won't even start. Warming the engine up does NOT improve performance at all. I would also say the problem has gotten slightly worse over the past few weeks (all else equal), so perhaps the problem has caused impurities to get into fuel making matters worse? It's a very small tank!

I'm assuming it's something with the fuel injectors. I towed it to a Volvo dealer 5mi from breakdown at the bottom of a hill because they advertised fixing Cat engines, but I found out they only work on larger Cat engines for bigger trucks, and they won't touch a 3116 (they get plenty of business, and maybe they don't have the manuals).

We're now abruptly out of warm days for the season, and I need to do a quick fix so that I can move it 10 miles away, so I can avoid a $400 tow to get it somewhere willing to fix it!

THREE QUESTIONS:
1) Is there any way to do a quick fix to get it to go (empty) for 10 miles on level ground? Some thoughts.. Fuel additive, pumping out old fuel and replacing (it's only 40 gallon tank with about 28 gallons in it), a way to adjust fuel/air mixture to make a richer mix, etc?
2) How long would the repair take/cost for parts & labor?
3) If this is a know issue with the 3116, why doesn't CAT have a service bulletin with free repair?

THANKS!!

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13013

Posts: 2
Joined: Apr 2014

Thursday April 24, 2014 09:29

(jonparsons) I'm having the same problem what did you find.

i have a 92 topkick, some time ago, when i started it and was allowing it to warm up, the buzzer (sounds like the low air buzzer) goes off and a few seconds latter the engine will shut off. it started this during cold weather, and would shut off a couple times before it got warmed up and them be ok. it continued to do this through the winter, and has begun to get worse, shutting off 3-4 times and now it will shut off anytime i am running slow or engine just idling. hope you can help. oh by the way, it will start right back up everytime.
thanks

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lrgt2003

Posts: 3
Joined: Oct 2011

Thursday April 24, 2014 15:20

I don't know if that's the same thing, but the solution to mine was a bad fuel pump.

If it is a fuel pump, TIP... you can get the bad pump rebuilt cheap (like $100). It's just the labor to remove, and reinstall it.

Don't buy a used one, even if it's cheaper than $100, as it will probably fail quickly.

The cause of this problem is the engine sitting for a while and/or ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD).

ALWAYS run PowerService with these engines due to ULSD (silver bottle in the spring/summer... $17/gal at Walmart). Not only will it keep your fuel pump and other components running perfectly, it will save you 20% on fuel with MPG boost. I run 50% *MORE* PowerService than it says on the bottle in my 3116. In my Detroit S60 engine I run 25% less concentration, and in my Mercedes MBE900, I run 60% less or none at all.

The 3116 responds VERY well to Power Service.

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